A Year Before Love
by caitymae1992
Summary: A year after the war the Gaang goes to the Fire Nation palace to visit and tlak about waht has been going on in their lifes. Kataang and Maiko. Turns into a Zutara. Slight Sukka and Taang.


One year after the war they all came to a reunion at the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. Toph, Aang, and Katara were on their way. Zuko and Mai were already there due to Zuko being the Fire Lord and Mai dating him.

"Sparky!" A thirteen year old blind girl ran to her 'brother'.

"Hey Squirt." Zuko smiled and spun her around in a hug.

Mai laughed. "You two should do the dance for me."

"We only do the dance if we are celebrating something. Right Toph?"

"Right Sparky-butt!" Toph nodded her head. "So when's everyone else getting here?"

"Well…"

"Toph!" Sokka and Suki both shouted while running down the hall.

"Crap." Toph said before being smothered in between the mushiest couple in history."

"Toph I've missed you so much!" Suki shouted.

"Honey you don't have to shout I'm right here." Toph tolled her.

"Aw I've missed that name!"

"I still don't get how she can be more crazy-happy then Katara was when I let her do my hair." Mai said to Zuko. He chuckled and put an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. Mai smiled as she remembered that day she and her former enemies tolled each other their secrets.

**Flashback**

_It was the year before and everyone was in Ba Sing Se at the Jasmine Dragon drinking tea and celebrating their first real vacation since they were born._

_"Please Mai?" Katara smiled and gave her a baby face._

_"Ugh… If you stop doing that I'll let you do my hair."_

_"YAY!!" Katara yelled. She ran behind Mai and started taking her hair out of her buns. After that she brushed it out. _

_"Hey girls, us guys are going to have our guy time and you can have your girl time." Sokka smiled and started to walk out._

_"Wait a minute." Suki called. She walked up to him "No flirting with other girls, okay?"_

_"You know I wouldn't." Sokka smiled at her and kissed her nose. Suki giggled and kissed him on the cheek. Sokka grabbed her around the waist and kissed her lips._

_"Alright go already!" Toph yelled. Everyone else laughed and the boys left._

_"So, Mai, how are you and Zuko doing?" Katara asked happily._

**End of Flashback**

"Mai?" Zuko waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh?"

"Appa is landing and you know who's on there." Zuko smiled. When Appa landed Aang and Katara jumped out and attacked everyone with hugs.

"Oh my spirits I missed you so much Suki!" Katara yelled when she hugged her first victim. "Sokka!" She hugged her second. "Mai!" Her third. "Zuko!" Her fourth. "Aang!" She kissed him.

Aang chuckled "Katara I rode with you here on Appa."

"Whoa, sounds like someone's voice dropped completely." Toph laughed while stepping up.

"Toph!" Katara yelled and hugged her. She stepped back with her hands resting on Toph's shoulders. "Oh my Toph, you've grown! Look Suki she has boobs!" Toph's eye's widened.

"And a butt!" Suki commented.

Toph's mouth dropped and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Can we eat now!" It wasn't a question. She turned around and started walking.

"Look Kat she sways her hips now!" Suki shouted.

"Oh my gosh she dose…Ahh." Katara was tripped by and piece of earth that just so happened to be up in the palace floor. She fell right back into Zuko's arms.

He caught her around the waist and chuckled. "I guess she still thinks she's on Appa." The Fire Lord said as Katara was back on her feet.

Katara mumbled something about fire benders under her breath. "Toph just because I speak the truth doesn't mean you can trip me. You have to face the fact that you've gotten older and that your body will change."

Toph turned in her direction and glared very hard then smirked very widely. "Aw Sugarqueen is making all the attention go to me. Really Katara how have you changed looks wise? Are you skinnier, fatter? Are your boobs bigger then the last or smaller? Or how about has your butt gotten to big to fit in your pants. Tell me boys how has Katara changed?" She smirked even wider when she felt not one but two hearts start to race. Aang and Zuko's to be exact. _'Oh this is gonna be so fun!'_ She thought as sashayed away from the gang and laughed a little when she felt Aang's heart beat quicken and body heat rise. _'So much fun.'_

They ate and talked about how their first year was with out war. Toph talked about the blind earth bending school that her parents made and how she is now the best teacher in Gao Ling. Aang tolled them of how Gigi and Katara helped bring in the orphaned children, women, veterans of war and so many others to populate the Air Temples. Sokka reported that the Southern Tribe is becoming as big as the North Pole and that he will become chief on his eighteenth birthday. Suki announced that there will be a new Dojo made for all the boys that want to become warriors of Kyoshi. After the talking was done Toph suggested that they should have a little sparing battle for kicks. First up was Suki, Sokka, and Mai.

The three fought. Everyone against each other. Mai's knifes were flying everywhere. Sokka's boomerang always came back. Suki's fans never broke. In the end everyone was matched. Sokka had his arm around Suki with his sword against her throat and the end of his boomerang was to Mai's side. One of Suki's fans was pointing to Mai and a dagger was up pointing to Sokka's heart. Mai had a knife pointed to Sokka and Suki's throats. All were breathing heavily. Then they dropped their weapons and Sokka and Suki were laughing.

A small smile graced Mai's pale face and she shook her head bowing. "Well that was fun." She said monotone.

"Just like old times." Sokka laughed.

Suki smiled, "Alright how about the opposites go against each other. Toph, Aang, get over here and fight!"

Toph smirked when she felt the Avatar's heart beat go up once more. _'Maybe I can get him to blush.'_ She turned around in her place and took off her long sleeve top. "Sparky how hot can it get, gosh!" She felt Aang moved and she herd a rustling of fabric. Toph turned around and felt Aang's body heat go up.

"Dang Toph, when did you get abs?" Suki yelled, Katara laughed, Sokka whistled and Aang swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Come on Twinkles are we gonna fight or stare at each other?" Toph picked up rocks. Aang smiled and blocked every attack the blind girl was throwing. "You wanna know something Twinkles?"

"What?"

"I went back to the desert with my friend Babycakes. We both learned the ways of the sand benders and now look what I can do." She created sand from the rocks she was holding and shot it around the Avatar and her.

"Can't see, can't see! Sand in my eyes!" Aang shouted.

"Remember what I taught you, 'Oh great and powerful Avatar.' Listen to the earth." She laughed and shot multiple rocks his way. She felt him stop in his place waiting for the rocks. He moved his foot and a blast of air shot the rocks back Toph's way. She shot them back into the ground. In a swift movement she brought the sand down and stood there and smiled. Aang's mouth was gaping. "What?" she asked.

"You just did an air bender move."

"Your point." She laughed.

Aang stared at her and laughed. He ran and like that Toph was held to the ground, Aang sitting on top of her pinning her wrists above her head. "I won!" He yelled.

"Not fair!"

"You should have seen it coming, 'Miss. Worlds Greatest Earthbender.'"

Toph opened her mouth then closed it. "Fine. Now get off me!" She blushed and pushed him up with her knees and stood. She brushed herself off, turned and punched Aang. Toph ran behind Zuko and Mai. "I'm still better." She laughed.

Aang laughed and walked over to Katara. "It's your's and Zuko's turn."

"Okay." Katara smiled. "Lets go Zuzu."

"Aw Katara have you forgot that you're fighting fire. You don't want that pretty little dress to get burnt off do you." Zuko lit his palm full of fire.

Katara's eye's widened and she removed her dress. "Zuzu aren't you going to strike?"

"Little girls first."

"You should go then because I'm a woman." She smiled.

"You're fifteen."

"Your point, Zuzu." Katara smiled and water whipped his hand.

"Oh it's on." Zuko rolled his eyes and threw multiple blasts of fire.

Fire and water dulled it out. It had been hours and the Fire Lord and the Waterbending Master were still at it.

"Holy crap you guys, can't one of you just surrender?" Sokka yelled.

"No!" They both yelled with scowls. By this time the servants and guards were interested in the fight. Generals and Noblemen had been standing there for about an hour watching their Lord fighting a water bending peasant.

"You should really give up peasant."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Peasant!"

"Go jump in the river!"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Let me tie you to a tree to make it seem real. Peasant." He laughed.

"Really Zuko you should really not call me that anymore."

"Why? Just because you are the Avatar's girlfriend doesn't mean that you've stopped being a peasant." Zuko laughed when he saw Katara's face. _'Yup she's going to kill me.'_ He thought.

"Well, Zuzu you do remember meeting my father now don't you?"

"Yes" He shot a wall of fire. She deflected it with water and made steam.

"Well he's a chief and we have taken on the government of the North Pole and that means that I'm Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." She smiled. Zuko stopped bending.

"Princess?" Katara came at him, but he was to late she had the Fire Lord pinned up to a wall with an ice dagger at his throat and a smirk on her face.

"I win." She whispered out of breath.

"Not quite, Princess." Katara looked down to see a fire dagger almost touching her perfectly toned stomach.

"You can't be serious!" Katara yelled and Zuko laughed. They both backed away and bowed. Zuko looked around to see his servants, guards, the Council members, and Noblemen staring at the two. He smiled sheepishly. "Your Fire Lord everyone!" Katara pointed at Zuko and laughed. His servants clapped with amused smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, thank you." He laughed.

"Excellent fight you two." A general came up to them.

Zuko's eye's widened. "General Fong I didn't know you were early. I thought you were coming around dinner."

"It's almost dinner my Lord." General Fong laughed.

"Oh, I am sorry for making you wait." He bowed.

"No need to be sorry. I enjoyed the fight between you and Master Katara."

"It's Princess now." Zuko turned to Katara and smiled, he also stuck his tongue out a small bit. Katara glared and shook her head.

"My Lord, you know you are a very powerful bender."

"Thank you I-" Was all Katara heard of their conversation. Her eye's widened and someone elbowed her in the arm. She turned to see Suki staring at her with a surprised look. Toph had her mouth slightly open and nodded her head toward one person. Mai. The knife thrower had a myriad of looks on her visage. Hurt, anger, sadness, and a hint of relief. Mai turned to see Katara looking at her with an apologizing expression. Mai quickly bottled up her emotions and replaced her features with that old mask of boredom and she walked away fast to her room, remembering what had happened when the boys left for their 'guy _time'_.

**Flashback**

_"Aw Zuko's so sweet when he want to be!" Katara squealed and pulled Mai's hair ever so slightly._

_"Ow." Mai mumbled. "Really stop interrogating me please. What about you? Do you have any secrets or stories for us?"_

_"Well I have one that you all might be interested in, but I've never told anyone so you can't tell a soul. Okay?" Toph, Suki, and Mai all nodded their heads. Katara let go of Mai's hair and sat in the circle of the girls. "Well this was when before we arrived at the North Pole. We heard about this fortuneteller and decided to stop in the village where she lived. I was the first to get my palm read. The first thing she said was, 'I feel great romance for you. The man you're going to marry.' I asked her to tell me more. She replied, 'I can see that he is a very powerful bender.'"_

_"Oh my gosh, Katara, you're going to marry Aang!" Suki shouted._

_"That's exactly what I thought, but…"_

_"But?" Toph asked._

_"But Sokka said something that day that threw me off guard."_

_"What did he say?" _

_"He said, 'Man, sometimes I forget what powerful bender that kid is.' I was shocked and I had to ask again. Sokka replied saying, 'Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender.' He never once said that Aang was 'a very powerful bender' Like Aunt Wu said and the words that she said were never wrong. So I'm kind of worried."_

_"Katara, you and Aang are perfect for each other." Suki reassured her. "Something will happen later on in your relationship together and some random person will call Aang 'a very powerful bender' and everything will then be set in stone."_

**End of Flashback**

Mai was sitting on her bed looking at a painting of her and Zuko in Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. She sighed. "That fortuneteller was right."

"What fortuneteller?"

Mai turned around to see Zuko standing in her doorway dressed in new robes. She swallowed. "Zuko we need to talk."

**With Katara**

"Aang we need to talk." She tolled the Avatar the story of what Aunt Wu said.

"So you're just going to believe some stupid fortuneteller!" Aang yelled while walking in the courtyard of the palace.

"No…Aang…I don't know!" She yelled back tears stinging her eyes.

"Yes you do! You're just going to break it off with me to run crying to the Fire Lord and you don't even know if he's going to take you or not." Aang looked at her hurt in his eyes and whispered "I thought we were going to be together longer."

"We were…" Aang's eye's widened. "No wait…We are, Aang, I…I love you."

Aang laughed. "No you don't." He took his glider and flew off.

**Zuko and Mai**

"So that's just it. I thought we weren't going to break up anymore." Zuko said hurt.

"I thought so too." Mai walked up to him and took his face in her hands and said "I'll always love you." She gave him a small goodbye kiss and started to walk away. Mai turned to see Zuko watching her. "You know a fortuneteller once told me that I would be the one to end a complicated relationship. She also said it would hurt me more then the other. She was right about both." A single tear slipped down her face. She smiled. "Go get her Zuko. She's probably hurting more then me." And she was gone down the hall to a left then a right and out the western doors.

Zuko walked out and saw Katara sitting in the courtyard. Where he fought his sister for the crown. She was sitting right at the spot where he was struck with lightning. "Katara?"

"You know I never really thanked you for making a jump and saving my life." She said.

Zuko saw the tear stains on her perfectly shaped cheeks. "That's okay you don't have to."

There was an uncomfortable silence. "Did Mai tell you?" The water bender asked and turned her eye's to the Fire Lord. He nodded his head. "I saw her leave. What happened?"

"We broke up." Zuko looked at the floor. He suddenly found the lines on the ground more interesting to look at. She nodded her head. "Did you tell Aang?"

"Yup."

"And…"

"And he left like always." She pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry silently.

Zuko placed his hand on her back and moved it in gentle circles. Katara looked up and tried to smile a thanks, but the smile wouldn't come only more tears. " _'I thought we were going to be together longer.'_ He said to me. He looked so hurt Zuko. I didn't mean to hurt him. I really didn't."

"Shh, it's okay." Zuko pulled Katara in to his arms and placed his head atop hers. Katara stopped crying after a while and they were now in a comfortable silence with Zuko still holding her to his chest.

"You know I still haven't thanked you." She smiled up to him.

Zuko chuckled. "Then get it over with already." He smiled a smile she had never seen before.

'_So that's what Mai meant when she said he was sweet in his own way.'_ She laughed at the thought.

"What?" Zuko's eye brow lifted.

"Nothing. Thank you for saving me."

"I still don't get why you're thanking me. You kind of thanked me by healing me." He laughed.

"No not that. Saving me just now. I would have probably had built up emotion and totally kicked your ass if you didn't come." She laughed.

Zuko smiled that charming smile and kissed her forehead. "Well…you're welcome."

Katara's eye's widened and she smiled and looked up in to his eyes. They both moved closer and Zuko placed a sweet kiss on her lips. Katara couldn't help but think that Aang's kisses didn't feel like this. _Zuko was a more experienced man._ She knew that she made the right decision to listen to the fortuneteller.


End file.
